A customer we attended to this week in Box Hill asked a very common question,
“How do you read the water meter and make sense of it all?“.
The customer was quite concerned about their water consumption because they had experienced a leaking temperature relief valve on there mains pressure hot water unit. The valve was wasting a lot of water. We had replaced the faulty valve and tested the water supply lines for any further leaks.
Most houses have there own meter. The water meter is usually located towards the front of the property, near the left or right boundary. In duplexes, flats or strata titled properties, there may be only one meter servicing all of the dwellings or one for each residence.
It is useful to know the location of your meter because a stop tap, which controls the flow of water, is normally next to the meter. In an emergency, such as a burst water pipe, you can use the stop tap to turn off the water supply to prevent waste and damage.
Your water meter is a useful tool in helping manage your water consumption. If you are not using water in your house, your meter should stop ticking over. In this way you can use your water meter to check for leaks. Record the reading of your meter and ensure no water is used on the property for a few hours and then check the meter again. Take into consideration if your hot water system is filling, or if dishwashers, washing machines, toilets or garden irrigation are in use, or on timers. Any movement of the dials {including both red and black numbers} on your water meter after this time indicates there may be a leak on the property. If this is the case you should contact Tom Plumb to have it repaired.
There are many types of water meters.
If your meter looks like the one above, read the black and red numbers left to right. The black numbers show how many kilolitres {1,000 litres} have been used. The red numbers show how many litres have been used. Only the kilolitres are represented on your water bill.
The current reading on both meters is 1234 kilolitres and 567.8 litres, 1234.5678 kilolitres.
If your meter looks like the one below, kilolitres are represented by the black display, and litres by the dials. The dials are read from right to left. When the pointer rests between two numbers read the lower number.
We hope this all makes sense! If not, talk to Tom Plumb today for quality plumbing assistance across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Plumber on Call: 0418 328767